1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a programmable medical event reminding and monitoring device. More particularly, to a device which can prompt an individual, and record said events for later analysis by a physician, care provider, or researcher.
2. Description of Related Art
One problem in the medical and pharmaceutical industry is determining whether a patient or participating subject, has properly taken prescribed medications at the proper times. In the medical industry, this is especially problematic with older patients who are taking multiple medications on a complex time schedule
Traditionally, any attempt to record compliance with medications was done with paper, or via phone interviews. A form would be created by the doctor listing the medications along with times and instructions. The patient would then fill out the form as the medications were taken. Unfortunately, physicians have found this to be an unreliable method for tracking compliance. Typically, the patient will forget to mark the form and there is no way of assuring what time the medication was actually taken. Phone interviews have also been used, but are typically not accurate enough to constitute scientific data. A number of devices have been proposed to overcome the shortcomings of the traditional paper based system. They include:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,725,997 Urquhart et. al. relates to a programmable device that controls when the patient receives a dosage. The device is programmed with the schedule of pharmaceutical doses. At the prescribed time, the device alerts the patient and dispenses the medication. Alternatively, the patient may request the dosage and depending on some preset rules, the device may or may not dispense the medication. This invention also has means for recording these events and later reporting them to the physician.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,504,153 Schoilmeyer et. al. relates to a programmable prompting device that attaches to a medication container. At prescribed times, the device will produce a visible or audible signal to prompt the patient to take the medication. In one embodiment, the device also unlocks the container when the signal is generated thus preventing unscheduled dosages.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,221 Urquhart et. al. relates to a programmable device capable of dispensing medications at prescribed times and monitors the physical dispensing through the use of an optical sensor located in the dispensing port.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,711 Johnston relates to a programmable device for assisting a person in keeping track of events such as appointments or times to take medications. The user can program the device through a series of switches to set unique preset times. The user must also physically write on a piece of paper attached to the device what action corresponds with each timed event. This device is similar to the traditional paper based system with an alarm clock attached to the form.